


Serendipity

by youdidwinsodidi



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, Angst, F/F, Fluff, SQ - Freeform, Young Emma, Young Regina - Freeform, bus journey, flangst, slowburn, swanqueen - Freeform, teen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-22 10:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9604415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youdidwinsodidi/pseuds/youdidwinsodidi
Summary: The effect by which one accidentally stumbles upon something truly wonderful while looking for something entirely unrelated. | "Can I sit here?" Emma asked. Follow 18 year old Emma and 17 year old runaway Regina on their bus journey throughout the US. A bus journey filled with adventures, angst and a topping of love, and discoveries that binds them together in impossible ways. SQ flangst.





	1. Frozen

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU where 18 year old Emma and 17 year old runaway Regina meet and go on a bus journey together throughout the US. I previously rated this M for language, but then dotched it back down because it isn't that bad yet. 
> 
> This is my first swanqueen story and I tried to keep Emma's personality as the adult Emma - but wanted to try to write Regina as she would have been at 17 back in the enchanted forest. English is not my first language so I apologise for weird sentences and grammary things.
> 
> Lastly, I would like to say an extreme thank you to Steph & Shanna - the two biggest sweethearts who I've annoyed with constant updates about how I'm doing. Shanna, for being amazing and Steph for beta'ing this wreck. 
> 
> Without further due, let's get started! Enjoy.

 

* * *

**Serendipity**

_The effect by which one accidentally stumbles upon something truly wonderful while looking for something entirely unrelated.  
_

* * *

 

_February 1st 2017_

The old bus shook with strong force as 18 year old Emma tried to hold herself upright by holding onto one of the handles on top of the chairs. She shot an apologetic look at the man whose lap she had just almost fallen into and mouthed a _sorry_ with a sheepish smile. Seeing the man's dirty look, she quickly continued her journey to the back of the bus. All seats were taken except one and she quickly made her way over there.

"Can I sit here?" She asked without looking at the person who was sitting near the window. Seconds passed without an answer and Emma let herself fall into the chair. After a few beats, the blonde glanced over to the person seated next to her. She took in the girl's appearance, a tiny brunette who couldn't be any older than 17, the bottom of her hair falling just slightly over her shoulders. She was looking out of the window and Emma could hear the music blasting through her headphones. No wonder she hadn't heard her question. Emma shrugged and let her head rest against the hard surface of the old bus, allowing herself to drift off to sleep.

Ever since she had run away, she had gotten used to sleeping on old buses and hard surfaces. Sadly, she had also gotten used to sleeping next to drunk men who often smelled like they hadn't showered in a year. So Emma was glad that this time she could sit next to someone who clearly had showered. She wondered why and where this girl was going in the middle of the night – considering it was 3 AM, on a bus to Montana. Before Emma's thoughts were able to be occupied a little longer, she was overtaken by sleep.

Emma's eyes shot open rather quickly when she heard someone yell in her ear. The brunette next to her had finally noticed her presence and didn't seem very pleased with it. Emma's eyes connected with brown eyes and grinned at the furious look that was plastered on the girl's features. She was trying really hard to look as angry as possible, but Emma could see right through it.

"What's so funny?" The brunette snapped, everything about her was cold. "I asked you a question!"

"I'm sorry – I didn't hear because I was _sleeping_."

"I was asking who gave you permission to sit next to me." She snarled.

"I asked. You didn't reply. Don't you know that if you don't answer a question, the answer is yes?"

Emma couldn't hide her amusement and a smile was playing on her lips. The brunette next to her huffed loudly and turned to look at the window again but before she managed to put her headphones back on, Emma poked her shoulder.

"I'm Emma, by the way."

The angry brown eyes met with Emma's green eyes once again and the blonde _almost_ regretted bothering the girl again. But seconds passed and the brown eyes softened and the body attached to them relaxed a little.

"Regina," she eventually said as if it was the hardest task the brunette had ever had to do in her life. "Can you now _please_ leave me alone?"

"I don't have to leave my seat?"

"Do whatever you want."

Regina shrugged and put her headphones back on and returned to the window. If it had been anyone else in this situation, Emma was sure that Regina would have been judged – but Emma understood. When she had first run away, she had wanted to spend time in her own world – occupied by her own thoughts. But eventually it had gotten lonely and now Emma wanted to talk to people. But the girl next to her was probably on her way to meet her friends and didn't have any need to speak with a stranger.

* * *

When the bus came to a sudden halt, Emma bolted awake. She only had a second to notice the flickering lights as they died out. She quickly looked over to Regina, who was still sleeping peacefully, headphones slightly off her head. Emma noticed the people around her were starting to move and the blonde softly moved the headphones back onto Regina's ears. She then got up and followed the people who were walking towards the entrance of the bus – where the driver had gotten out of his seat.

"There is a problem with the engine," the driver explained pointedly. "I will try to fix this but since it is 4 AM, I would suggest everyone to find a place to sleep. There is a town nearby, it's a short walk. You can stay here if you want to but if I can't fix it immediately, I will go and find a place to sleep as well."

The people around Emma all swiftly went back to their seats and grabbed their stuff so they could alight from the bus. They had all taken quick notice of the bad weather, the snow falling down in thick flocks. As the others exited the bus one by one, Emma returned to her seat. She was on a tight budget, so she would just wait and _hope_ that the bus would come back to life. She observed Regina for a few seconds, the brunette still asleep and now completely protected from the world by the headphones resting on her ears. Emma decided to close her eyes as well. But her moment of peace didn't last very long as she was woken by the driver.

"Sorry girlie," He said. Emma didn't like him a single bit. "You're going to have to wake your ladyfriend here and both get out of my bus."

The driver didn't even wait for Emma's reply and started descending the bus. The blonde turned her body over to Regina, removing her headphones with one hand and shaking her softly with the other. The brown eyes, that had looked so angry before, were now staring at her in confusion. Before Regina could say something, she was halted by Emma.

"We need to get off now, there is something wrong with the bus."

Emma moved to stand next to the chairs and held out her hand to Regina so she could move from her seat faster. It took a few moments for Regina to realize where she was and what exactly was happening, but eventually stood up next to Emma, without taking her hand. Regina fixed the straps of her backpack so it was more firmly placed on her back and the duo descended the bus. Emma shuddered at the first snowflake landing on her face. Yeah, it was definitely cold outside. Once they both had gotten off, the driver immediately closed the bus and was fast gone.

"Where is he going? Where is everyone?" Regina asked, her voice a little higher than usual. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?"

"Uh, I was doing whatever I wanted like you told me to," Emma shrugged and put her beanie on her head to cover herself from the snow and proceeded to throw Regina's coat that she had taken with her at the brunette. "And I was just trying to help you."

"I'm going now." The brunette turned on her heel and walked forward.

"Where are you going? It's at least a two miles walk!"

"How would you know?!" Regina snapped, turning again to look at Emma.

"I just," Emma paused as she thought about her words. "I just know. You're going the wrong way anyway." The blonde once more waited a few seconds. "Look, you're free to do whatever you want because frankly we don't know each other – but I've been run—doing this for 3 years now, I know what I'm doing."

Regina visually relaxed at what Emma said. Granted, whatever the blonde was implying, she was right about it. Regina didn't know the slightest about where she was going or doing and she just wanted to go inside somewhere because she was cold. She wasn't used to these temperatures.

"Fine," she said while breathing out sharply. "Can we hurry? I'm freezing."

"Okay."

For the first mile of their journey, they walked in silence. Regina had contemplated on putting on her headphones again but then decided against it. In her now 17 years of existence, there had only been a few people who were nice to her. Regina was aware of her walls that she had built around herself and accepted the consequences. She studied Emma for a bit, the girl seemed to know exactly where they had to go. The blonde couldn't be much older than her but she did seem more defined. Regina could see that Emma had already gone through a lot, she could see it in the way her smile didn't go up to her eyes and she just looked _tired_.

"What is it?" Emma asked when she noticed Regina staring at her.

"Nothing," Regina replied hastily, she almost felt caught. "Are we near? My feet are starting to hurt and my back is killing me because of the chairs."

"We're halfway, I think." Emma shrugged. "Do you want me to carry your bag?"

"No."

* * *

Their trip was continued in silence as Emma guided them into the small town of Columbus. The whole thing looked like it didn't have more than 2000 residents but at least it still had a hotel. The blonde guided them towards the petite hotel in front of them. Emma really knew where she was going, Regina had to give her that. By the time they arrived, Regina had hesitantly accepted Emma's scarf. She had first grunted when Emma had asked, but as the snow kept falling down on them, and Regina wasn't appropriately dressed for the weather, she had eventually given in.

The hotel in front of them was feeble and everything about it seemed silent. Although the snow had covered most of the stones, Regina could still admire its color. Although the brunette was very fond of the modern house she had had back at home, she could also enjoy the more rustic buildings. She found pleasure in the building's histories – it soothed her.

"What are you waiting for?" Emma queried. Regina speedily realized that she had been staring in front of her, into nothingness. She recollected herself and with a sharp breath she pushed the doors of the hotel open.

"Hello!" A young man with a ginger moustache behind the counter singsonged. "Welcome to Oaken's hotel, sauna and other things! How can I help you?"

"Hi, Oaken," Regina bit harshly. "We need a room to sleep."

"Sure, one or two?"

It was only in that very moment that Regina realized that she didn't have any money on her anymore. All of the money she had taken with her, she had used on the bus fare. Panic flashed over her face as she turned to meet Emma.

"Emma," her voice dropped so only she could hear it. "I – I don't have any money with me."

"Now, aren't you happy that you came along with me?" Emma smirked at her but deep down she worried. She wasn't swimming in cash herself either, so one room would have to do. She'd sleep on the couch.

"Oaken, can we get one room please?"

"What?" Regina barked from beside her. There was no way she would share the bed with someone that she didn't know. Actually, even with someone she _did_ know, she wouldn't share it.

"Calm down," Emma hissed as she handed over the money to Oaken. "I'm sleeping on the couch. But if you keep acting like this – I might change my mind about who sleeps there."

Regina's face suddenly flushed, no one talked back to her like that. Oaken followed the verbal tennis match between the two with his eyes and eventually shrugged. He grabbed the set of keys that belonged to room 1 and handed them to Emma. She thanked him and turned around to meet Regina's gaze, who was biting the inside of her cheek from secondhand embarrassment.

"Come on," Emma sighed when the brunette next to her didn't move an inch. "Let's go. You're completely soaked and I don't want you to get sick."

Two beats of silence.

"Fine."

* * *

Emma let herself fall onto the couch when she heard Regina turn on the shower. She ran a hand through her hair and groaned. She too was soaked, but her body had gotten used to it and didn't get sick easily. Somewhere during their walk to the hotel, she had started to suspect Regina was a runaway as well and when she admitted she didn't have any money on her, Emma knew for sure. The blonde wondered if it was smart to wander around with a runaway, especially with one that looked so young. It had only been three months since Emma had finally gotten free from her journey, she had just turned eighteen in October. Was she really willing to risk her freedom for a runaway she didn't even know? But she had to help her, Emma knew. If only she had had someone to show her what she had to do the first moments of her journey, a lot of the mess she had been in could have been avoided.

She removed her wet boots and threw her red leather jacket somewhere across the room. Her sweater and beanie she laid carefully on the heating system and then proceeded to lower herself again onto the couch, slowly drifting off to sleep.

"Emma?" Regina's voice filled the room and Emma whipped up. How long had she been out for? She grasped for her mobile phone to turn it on, as she had turned it off before the walk to save the battery. She scanned the room quickly and couldn't see the source of the voice immediately.

"Emma?" Regina asked again, her voice a little higher and Emma could hear the faint amount of panic in it. But now Emma could see the body slowly exiting the bathroom.

"Yeah?"

"Oh, good – I thought you had left." Regina breathed out.

"Mm." Emma mused, not really paying attention to what Regina was saying, her eyes glued to her phone. She groaned inwardly when she saw the clock indicating 5AM, there wasn't going to be much sleep happening today.

Regina walked in with her hair still partly wet, the small curls were now visible and resting on her shoulders. She wasn't really fond of the curls but her father adored them, so she usually kept them for a day before straightening them – but it wasn't like she had brought her straightener along so it didn't really matter anyway. The nightgown she was in was one she had gotten from her father as well. It was a pastel purple satin dress and it was one of her most precious possessions.

"Regina," Emma asked from the couch, she had now discarded her phone and was paying full attention to the brunette. "How old are you?"

Panic flashed once again in Regina's brown eyes and she took two small steps backwards. Emma stood up softly and held out her arm, as if she was trying to pat the air.

"No, no, don't worry, I-" She waited for a few seconds. "Did you run away?"

The way Regina turned her head away could only mean that Emma was right about her suspicions.

"Look," Emma articulated. "I understand, I ran away when I was 15 and I've been doing this ever since, so you don't have to explain yourself to me."

"You're eighteen?" Regina inquired, referring to Emma's earlier comment about her having been doing this for three years.

"Yes."

"So you're free."

Emma nodded, but her heart broke a little at the word selection. Sure, she was an adult now – but she would never be truly _free._

"Which is why I need to know how old you are."

"Are you going to rat me out?"

"No!" Emma almost shouted, she paced forward and rested her hand on Regina's arm. The brunette could run away any moment now. "Please, I would never do that."

Regina shook Emma's hand off her arm with a strong force and crossed her arms in front of her. She stared so intensely at the ground that Emma was sure it would break any moment now.

"I'm seventeen," Regina whispered and she protected herself by wrapping her arms around her, she felt incredibly vulnerable. "It's actually my birthday today." A soft smile played on the brunette's lips.

"Really?" Emma's eyes shot open just a little and she regained her posture. "Happy birthday!"

"Uh – thanks?" Regina quipped and dropped her arms so they were resting next to her again. She didn't like celebrating her birthday. It was the day where her mother acted even crazier than normal and instead of celebrating Regina – her mother liked to tell her everything what was wrong with her. You know, so she could improve those by her next birthday.

"I'm Emma Swan," Emma exclaimed after a few moments. "I'm eighteen and I'm originally from Boston. Well, I was _found_ on a road in Boston. I've spent all my life in an orphanage until I ran away."

"You're an orphan?" Regina's face fell.

"Yeah, that's why they stopped looking for me after a year. No one missed me anyway."

"I'm sorry," Regina mumbled softly. At least she had a family she could return to, right? But she didn't want to return home _ever_ again. She had thought about running away for such a long time, this decision was final. "I'm Regina Mills."

"I'm not getting the rest of the story?" Emma pouted lightly and Regina bit her lip. The blonde captured Regina's gaze with her own and she nudged Regina to tell her _something_ so that they wouldn't be just strangers anymore.

"My mother is crazy." Regina said firmly and Emma knew it was the end of the conversation for today. The blonde nodded and took in Regina's tired features and decided it was time to put an end to this day. She waddled over to the couch and Regina understood and walked over towards the bed.

"Let's try to sleep for three hours, okay?" Emma suggested as she snuggled underneath the blanket. She could hear Regina agree from the bed as she pushed her hand on the light switch.

"Goodnight, Regina."

"Goodnight."

"Happy birthday."

Small tears fell down onto the white pillow where the brown curls were resting on.

* * *

Emma had only been able to sleep for an hour or so, and she found herself to be wide awake at 7:30 AM. She took her phone in her hands and started scrolling down on her unused twitter account. It was one of the things she had registered for once she had turned eighteen. She only used it when she was bored or when something major was happening. She sighed softly as she put it away again. Nothing interesting really. She turned her body so she could look at the bed, where the brunette was still sleeping soundly. She observed the girl, sighing. Emma wondered what mess she had gotten herself into, again.

Emma noticed the vexed look on Regina's face and _wondered_. They hadn't known each other very long but the walls that Regina had put up were noticeable and thick. Emma understood though, she had been the very same at the age of fifteen. Who was she kidding, she still had her walls up. They might even be thicker than Regina's because Emma would never sleep with her emotions plastered all over her face.

It was one of the things that she had learned throughout her many adventures. When she started out, most of the times she didn't have money. So her sleeping spot depended on who offered it to her that night. Sometimes it was nice people, but it could also be thieves. She had learned how to sleep, but never fully sleep, and to keep her emotions off her face. She would show no signs of weakness.

She remembered what Regina had said to her about her mother being crazy. What did she mean? Did she mean her mother abused her? It could mean _anything._ Emma sighed as she tried to push the thoughts out of her head. After a few beats of indecision, she decided to get up. She pushed herself quietly off the couch, trying her hardest not to wake Regina, who had now rolled over causing her hair to cover her entire face. Emma had to suppress a soft laugh.

Emma had slept in her clothes and knew she needed a shower but then chose not to because the sound would wake Regina. The blonde pondered for a moment about what she would do when her stomach growled loudly. She grabbed her jacket and her shoes and stepped out of the room. _Breakfast_ seemed like a good idea.

She closed the door of their room with a soft _thud_ and left for the hotel's lobby. Emma waved at Oaken who greeted her a little too enthusiastically and she queried about the town's bakery. When she had gotten her answer, she exited the building.

On the road to the bakery she realized that she probably should've left a note for Regina. But the girl would know that she hadn't left, right? All her stuff was still there after all. She shrugged the thought away as she stepped into the bakery.

* * *

"Where have you been?!" Regina roared as Emma stepped back into their hotel room. The brunette was still in her pastel purple nightgown and her hair was just – everywhere. Emma eyed Regina's face, she was angry alright. The blonde put the paper bag with the pastries in onto a small table.

"I was getting breakfast," Emma retorted but she knew she was in the wrong. She should've left a note, especially since they hadn't exchanged phone numbers. Then again, it's not like they agreed to stick together. "Bearclaw?" Emma offered with a sheepish smile.

"What?!" Regina spat. She was fuming. "Are you that stupid that you couldn't think of leaving a note?! What, they don't teach you manners in the orphanage?!"

Regina realized what she had said the moment the words had left her mouth and her mouth fell open, much to her own surprise. She scrambled her thoughts together and got ready to apologize.

"Don't—" Emma whispered and she turned around so her back was facing Regina. After she recollected herself, their gazes met again. "So you were worried?" She asked, the distress was completely gone from her eyes and voice, and she covered it all up with a smile. Her walls were back.

"I wasn't worried." Regina hissed, but her voice was softer than before. "I just thought you had left."

"So you were worried."

"No, I wasn't."

"Bearclaw?" Emma didn't feel like continuing the discussion any longer. She had already decided that Regina was an impossible person and quite honestly, she couldn't wait to get back to the bus. She had let her walls down just a little earlier that morning, and Regina had waltzed in and crushed the little bit of her trust in less than 5 seconds. Regina accepted the pastry that was handed to her by Emma without saying a word.

"Emma," she uttered after a ten minute silence. "Sorry, I was way out of line. I just –" Regina's voice died out, she really didn't know what to say.

"You were just being yourself aka being a bitch?" Emma offered.

"..Yes."

"I'm glad you're aware."

Regina sat down next to Emma on the couch and tried to straighten her nightgown. She suddenly felt very self-conscious and tried to pat down her bed hair with a swift pat. She really hadn't meant to lash out, but she had gotten so used to it now. It was something she had taught herself to do to protect herself from showing any weaknesses. Regina _almost_ smiled as she thought about how Emma thought she was so unreadable, but Regina could see right through her. She saw how the blonde covered up her hurt and fear with a smile and _really,_ they weren't so different from each other, were they?

"So what do you want to do for your birthday?" Emma challenged. "We can go out and walk around a little, see the town? I ran into the bus driver at the bakery and he said the bus wouldn't' be fixed until at least the 3rd."

"I don't know," Regina shrugged lightly – her hands tugging at the hem of her nightgown again. She couldn't look Emma in the eye, she did feel terrible about what she had said. "I guess we could investigate the town."

"Okay," Emma nodded. "I'll go shower then."

"Okay."

Emma moved to stand up from the couch, but a hand slid around her wrist.

"Emma?" Regina's voice was thin and Emma knew the girl was only able to apologize if she couldn't see the blonde's face. "I really am sorry. I really, really am."

"No hard feelings." Emma replied and tugged her arm loose from Regina's hand.

* * *

"Will you just accept the damn scarf?" Emma complained, she had been trying to convince Regina to use her scarf again but the brunette wouldn't budge.

"I don't need it!"

"You're shivering!"

"So are you?!"

Emma couldn't argue with that, she was shivering as well but not as much as Regina. At least Emma had a winter coat, what Regina was wearing were designer clothes designed for winter, but really only useable for summer.

"Regina, please," Emma sighed softly, removing the anger from her voice. "You'll get sick, so please accept it. If I get too cold and I need it, I'll ask. Okay?"

Regina hesitated for a moment but eventually accepted the red scarf, wrapping it around her neck. She looked so tiny, Emma observed. Once their little discussion had fizzled, they continued their walk. Columbus looked beautiful covered in snow. Regina gasped softly beside her, admiring the beauty of the view.

"Where are you from?" Emma wondered aloud. The girl next to her seemed to amazed by the view of the snow.

"Maine," she breathed out, her gaze was fixed on the snow covered buildings. "I was homeschooled and I was never allowed to leave the house when it snowed, for my safety." Regina had never been able to go outside and enjoy the snow like her peers. Sure, she had been able to google the images but seeing it now, in front of her, it was _magical_.

"Huh," Emma mumbled as she processed what Regina said. "Must be quite the birthday you're having then."

Regina laughed softly in response.

"It's the best."

They walked on in silence, Emma occasionally glimpsing at Regina who was just adoring the view. It was such childlike happiness, so innocent that it made her smile as well. It had been a while since she spent time with someone like Regina. Usually she'd be surrounded by junkies or something else, certainly not someone who would light up at the mere view of snow covered buildings. She wondered what kind of pain the brunette would have had to go through to cause her to run away. When she observed Regina like this, she suddenly understood the pain and the walls that had caused her to lash out this morning. Had she lowered them? Did she suddenly start trusting Emma a little after their small spat about the scarf? Emma pondered.

"So," Emma broke the silence after a while. "Why did you run away?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay."

"I told you my mother is crazy, that's all there is to know."

"Okay."

"It's none of your business."

"I said: okay."

"Fine."

The brunette rolled her eyes and locked her jaw, crossing her arms in front of her. Emma snorted at their discussion, the image of the innocent girl looking at the snow long gone. Regina's cold side was back.

* * *

Emma grunted, lunch had proved to be a pain in the ass, but dinner was even worse. Especially since she was the only one with money and Regina was picky. The brunette was in no place to be picky, Emma decided , but to keep the peace she'd let it slide and listened to her wishes.

"Why can't we just eat a sandwich with cheese?" Emma suggested.

"It's greasy." Regina scrunched her nose at the thought of it. Her mother had always said that Regina should try to maintain the best figure she could and it had rubbed off on her.

"Really?" Emma laughed airily. "Your body is fine, you won't suddenly change five sizes because you eat one sandwich with cheese."

"My stomach won't be able to handle the grease, Emma." Regina rolled her eyes at the blonde.

"Fine, if you really want to be a rabbit – go ahead."

"I'd prefer being a rabbit over being a caveman."

"Hey!" Emma pouted. "I'm the one with the money, do you want to starve?"

"At least I won't have to deal with you anymore!" Regina joked. Their banter had become more playful throughout the day and even though the brunette wouldn't admit it, she was enjoying it.

"Hey!" Emma huffed playfully and pushed Regina forward to the cashier by pushing her two arms forward on Regina's shoulder blades. Emma's laughter filled the store and for a second she thought Regina was going to join her, seeing the small smile playing on the brunette's lips but it didn't happen.

Emma paid for their stuff, salad, tomatoes, cheese, bacon and bread. Luckily water was free at their hotel. She thought about her finances – if they continued at this rate she could last for at least a month. She had calculated to be able to survive for two months without having to work since Emma knew she could just ignore the feeling of hunger, but with Regina, everything changed. The blonde shrugged the thought away, Regina was leaving in two days so she it should be fine.

Their journey back to the hotel was one in silence. Once they entered their room, they both sat down on an end of the little table and had their primitive dinner. Regina scrunched her nose at the sight of Emma taking a big bite of the bacon and cheese, causing Emma to roll her eyes dramatically.

"You're a child." Regina sighed as she took a bite of her salad.

"Hey now!" Emma retorted. "I'm a year older than you."

"Mentally, you're 12."

"And you're what? 90?"

Regina glared at Emma because she knew what she meant, Emma was calling her _boring_. Regina was aware that most of the things she did weren't exactly the things that people her age did, but she didn't really care.

"No," she pondered for a moment. "Perhaps I'm just classy?"

"Na-ah," Emma crossed her arms in front of her chest, dropping a piece of bread in the process. "You're just stuck-up."

"Classy."

"Stuck-up"

"Child."

"Granny."

Regina glared once again at Emma and was about to get up when the blonde started laughing. She handed a piece of bacon to the brunette.

"Take it," Emma smiled softly. "Live a little, Regina, come on. There's no one around to tell you what you can or cannot do."

The words took Regina by surprise. She hadn't thought about it like that. Most of the things she did or didn't do were things that had been decided by her mother. Should she, could she – bend the rules a little? Would it piss her mother off if she knew that she'd eat bacon and cheese? Oh, yes it would. Regina accepted the food that was given to her and ate it slowly.

"Well?" Emma queried when she saw Regina's face turn sour.

"It's greasy."

"You're impossible."

"Says you."

Emma laughed softly.

* * *

"It looks even more beautiful with the lights." Regina muttered under her breath. They had decided to go outside once again for another sightseeing tour. The lights were now turned on and it made the snow glow.

"It does." Emma agreed as they walked abreast, the sound of snow under their feet occasionally being crunched. Luckily, Regina had accepted her scarf without much convincing this time because the temperature had dropped even lower. After dinner they had taken a short nap, Regina on the bed and Emma on the couch. Regina couldn't stop making fun of Emma for snoring but when Emma threatened with Regina having to sleep on the couch, the brunette quickly fell quiet.

"Hey, Regina?" Emma said suddenly and they both halted in their steps to look at each other.

"Yes?"

"The scarf is yours," The blonde said with a smile, wrapping her hands in each other. "It's my birthday present to you. The red color looks good on you, better than on me."

Regina's mouth fell open slightly. She had never gotten a birthday present from one of her friends before, well she didn't exactly have friends. She wanted to decline, but at the same time her heart was tugging to accept it. Her eyes locked with Emma's, who was still looking at her like the sun was coming up behind her.

Their moment was interrupted when a deer suddenly came up from behind them running at full speed. Emma pushed Regina out of the way, who started complaining mid-air and eventually fell down onto the snow. Emma managed to regain her balance without falling down and she looked down at Regina, who was completely covered by snow.

"Are you okay?" Emma breathed out, her gaze following the deer as she pulled Regina to her feet.

"Yeah," the brunette mumbled. "What was that?"

"No idea, let's go find out."

At a much quicker pace, the duo followed the deer down the street. Emma was happy she hadn't fallen into the snow because she could see that Regina was shivering as her wet jeans were sticking to her legs. When the deer finally came to a halt, they were met by an old farm, that was hidden away from the rest of the town. Emma pulled off her jacket and handed it to Regina who reluctantly accepted it.

"Hi?" a cheery voice from behind them asked. "Who are you?"

Emma and Regina turned around to meet a girl who looked like she was around 23 years old. Her gingerish brown hair was tied into two long braids that fell across her chest. She smiled happily at them and was covered up in a big coat.

"I'm Emma," the blonde pointed weakly at herself. "This is Regina. We're just passing by because our bus broke down." Before she could continue she was interrupted by the brunette.

"We almost got run over by your deer!" She sneered. "Don't you think it's a little dangerous to let it run free?"

"Regina." Emma hissed and elbowed her lightly and the girl in front of them giggled.

"Allow me to apologize," she began. "I'm Anna and the deer is my fiancée's. His name is Sven. I mean, the deer's name is Sven – my fiancée is named Kristoff." She clapped her hands together. "We're getting married in two days! Oh," Her face fell. "I'm so sorry about Sven. He knows at 9 PM it's his snack time and there is usually no one out on the streets. Can I offer you something? A blanket? Oh please come in!" She asked, eyeing the shivering blonde and the wet jeans on the brunette.

"A blanket would be nice, but I'm afraid we can't come in," Emma replied, it was best for them to return to the hotel as soon as possible due to the cold. "We should return to the hotel soon – but we can return the blanket tomorrow morning?" She offered with a sheepish smile.

"Sure!" Anna replied happily. "Let me just grab it and then you guys come by for coffee tomorrow. I'll introduce you to my fiancée and my sister Elsa then!"

The girl disappeared inside for the blanket and came back out with a pastel pink blanket and handed it to Emma, who happily wrapped it around her. Emma and Regina bid their thanks to Anna and turned on their heels and returned to their hotel.

* * *

"Is it okay if I shower?" Regina asked while biting the inside of her cheek. Her body was freezing cold due to being pushed into the snow by Emma – but Emma had given her coat to Regina and the brunette was sure that the blonde was cold as well.

"Sure," Emma replied absentmindedly. "Do you have any spare jeans?"

"Yeah, I brought two."

"Okay, give me your jeans and I'm going to put them on the heater so they'll dry faster."

"Okay."

Regina entered the bathroom and then opened the door slightly to throw her jeans at Emma. She closed it again with a soft thud and rested her body against it.

"Emma?" Her voice came softly and Emma walked in the direction of the bathroom door.

"Yeah? Is everything okay?" Her hand rested on the closed door and a silence developed. "Regina?" Emma asked again, her voice a little higher now.

"Thank you," Regina mumbled. "For –" she thought about her words for a moment. "For being so nice to me." _Especially when I'm just being rude_ , Regina continued in her thoughts.

Emma rested her forehead with her eyes closed against the cold bathroom door, not knowing that the back of Regina's head was resting on the other side of it. The brunette had her arms wrapped around her own little frame and her hair covered her face as she looked down. She wasn't ashamed of her behavior, she would never be ashamed of who she was, but having someone look out for her like that, it was new. And even though Regina knew that it wasn't because she was _Regina_ but it was just because Emma was _Emma_ but she appreciated the small actions of care nonetheless. The brunette guessed that Emma was like this to everyone, the blonde's kindness was easy to be spotted.

"No need for thanks." Emma eventually replied as she withdrew herself from the door. The little _pang_ in her heart as Regina had mumbled those painful words hadn't gone unnoticed.

* * *

_February 2nd 2017_

Emma was awoken by the sound of a loud sneeze coming from the bed. The brunette, dressed in her pastel purple silky dress, sat upright in the bed and was sneezing multiple times after each other. Emma quickly rumaged around in her bag and threw a package of tissues at Regina.

"Got a cold?" Emma frowned, she had been afraid of this happening yesterday.

"Hope not," Regina grunted and then proceeded to blow her nose. "I'm not hot yet." She said as she felt her forehead with her hand. Emma had to stifle a laugh at what the brunette had said, but considering what situation they were in, the blonde bit the comment back.

"Do you want to stay here as I return the blanket?" The blonde asked as she got up from the bed, her hair a mess and headed for the bathroom.

"No," Regina huffed. "I'm fine."

"Alright." Emma shrugged and stepped into the bathroom.

Emma had quickly deducted that Regina was in an awful mood so the rest of the morning passed by in silence. Even during their walk to Anna's farm, not a single word was said. Emma snuck occasional glances at Regina who seemed wrapped up in her own thoughts.

"Hi!" Anna greeted them cheerily when they arrived at the farm. She wasn't wearing the thick coat anymore and was wearing a beautiful blue dress. Her braids were still present though, resting on a fuchsia jacket that was meant to protect her from the cold. Emma shivered at the sight of it.

"Hi," The blonde replied – not returning the cheeriness that Anna had offered in her greeting. "We brought the blanket, thanks again for letting us use it."

"No problem!" Anna giggled. "Please do come in for some coffee."

Emma glanced over to Regina who nodded in return. It was not like that had anything else to do, really. The duo followed Anna into the house where the girl started making coffee immediately. The cheerfulness of the girl was visible in the entire house. Anna started humming a song as she worked on the coffee.

"So," Emma began, meaning to break the ice. "You are getting married tomorrow?"

"Yes!" Anna clapped her hands together. "My fiancée's name is Kristoff. Oh, you should come! Please come?"

"Uhh—" Emma was a little taken aback by the sudden invitation.

"We can't," Regina replied firmly, not leaving room for Emma to interrupt. "Our bus leaves tomorrow."

"Oh," Anna's face fell and she bit her lip. "That's a pity. I'm not sure how many people are actually going to show up. My parents – they died and Kristoff's foster family can't afford the trip. And my sister.." She paused for a moment as she glanced at the door behind Emma. "She doesn't come out anymore."

"Why?" Emma asked.

"A few weeks before our parents died, Elsa came out as a lesbian to our parents. They," Anna thought about her words. "They didn't approve and searched for all kinds of priests and camps. At every moment they told her they didn't approve. When they died on a trip to pick up one of the priests, Elsa stopped coming out of her room. She feels guilty about it all."

The change in the atmosphere didn't go unnoticed and it caused Regina to shift uncomfortably in her seat. Anna's gaze was still fixated on the door, her features looking down. Emma and Regina felt like they were imposing on something they weren't supposed to be part of.

"Anna," Emma asked softly after a moment of thought. "Would it be okay if I spoke with Elsa?"

"..Sure, I'll have to tell her first. Give me a moment." The ginger got up as she said this and went for the door.

"What are you going to say?" Regina hissed lowly to Emma. "This is none of our business! You don't even know the girl."

"I just," Emma smiled sadly as she focused her gaze on a small crack in the table. "I just understand."

* * *

Emma and Regina entered the room softly and the blonde closed the door behind them with a soft _thud._ As they walked further into the room, they quickly noticed the limp body lying in the bed. There was a girl, around Regina's height somewhere in between the many sheets on the bed, her two arms dangling out of the bed frame. Somewhere between her arms laid a long blond braid that looked well taken care off.

"Elsa?" Emma asked quietly, she was almost too scared to make a lot of noise. As if the noise would break the small girl in two. She sat down at the edge of the bed and moved her hand at Regina to indicate that she should sit on the chair that stood next to the bed.

"Elsa, are you awake?" Emma tried again. She and Regina had come to an agreement that the brunette was best to not say anything at all. Regina had argued at first but when Emma had given her _the_ stare, the one that included the threat of her having to sleep on the couch, she agreed.

"Please leave me alone," a soft but broken voice replied from the other side of the bed. "I don't wish to talk to anyone."

"I'm Emma," Emma replied, ignoring the girl's request. "This is my friend Regina. We almost got run over by Sven yesterday. Your sister told me that you won't be attending her wedding."

The blonde waited a few moment for the other blonde to reply, but no reply came.

"She also told me about what happened to your parents and about you being gay." Emma continued then and moved her hand to rest on her own thigh and used the other one to run through her hair. "None of this is your fault, you know that right? Their death doesn't have anything to do with you being who you are."

"You don't know anything about me!" Elsa snapped and suddenly she sat upright. "You don't get to have a say if you have no idea how it feels like."

".. But I do." Emma's face fell and Regina raised a curious eyebrow for the second time that day.

"What?" Elsa retorted, her face still full of anger.

"I am too," Emma replied with a soft smile and moved her hand to what she believed was Elsa's foot. "Gay, I mean. I was an orphan and whenever I got adopted, they found out eventually and sent me back to the orphanage. So I understand."

"I'm sorry." Elsa said.

"None of this is your fault," Emma said again, her voice comforting. "You are who you are and you're perfect this way. No matter what your parents did to you or said to you, you deserve to be happy. You deserve a happy ending. Please start by going to your sister's wedding tomorrow? It means so much to her."

She smiled at the other blonde when she saw Elsa processing her words. Emma then turned around to Regina who was sitting with a confused stare on her face.

"Regina," Emma asked. "Would it be okay if me and Elsa spoke alone for a bit?"

"Fine."

Regina left.

* * *

"So," Regina mumbled to Emma who sat down next to her on the bench that stood outside the farm. Emma had stayed inside with Elsa to talk for an hour and Regina had become bored out of her mind and also a little concerned. What were they talking about?

"So?"

"You're gay?" Regina asked. _Really?_ That was the one thing she could think of to ask? She didn't even want to ask that.

"Yeah," Emma acknowledged and she raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

"No no," Regina waved her hands in front of her. "I don't even know why I asked that. I didn't want to ask that. I –" She let her thoughts travel away for a moment and she couldn't give Emma a proper reply without having to say a lot more than she wanted to. All of it was too personal and too soon.

"She might be coming, you know," Emma interrupted Regina because the brunette seemed at a loss of words. "I'm going as well, the bus doesn't leave until 8. Are you coming?"

"I guess." The brunette shrugged, her voice a little snippy. "It's not like I've got anything else to do anyway."

"Okay."

Emma shivered on the bench and wrapped her arms around herself. The light mood that they had yesterday seemed impossible to regain.

"You okay?" The blonde questioned as she eyed Regina who sat awkwardly. "You seem out of it."

"None of your concern."

Emma sighed and got up to go back inside– Regina was impossible. Every time she thought she was getting through to Regina, she suddenly blocked her out again.

"Is it because I'm gay?" Emma turned around with her hands in her pockets as she connected her eyes with Regina's. They battled for a moment but Emma could see nothing of the sorts in Regina's eyes.

"No," Regina took a long breath. "I was just lost in my thoughts a little too long."

And that, Emma understood all too well.

* * *

Emma and Regina stayed with Anna for the rest of the day. Anna ended up introducing them to her fiancée who was just as cheery as Anna, much to Regina's frustration. Emma had lost count of how many times that the brunette had rolled her eyes at the duo. Anna invited them to stay for dinner and the two gladly accepted – especially Emma who was still worrying over her finances.

"Thank you for the invitation," Emma said when they were sitting around the table. Anna was over the moon because Elsa had come out of her room for the first time in a long time. The blonde had come out of the room and shot an appreciative smile at Emma, who returned the favor.

"No, no!" Anna replied happily. "Thank you! Because of you I will have my sister at my wedding. I couldn't ask for anything better."

"You're welcome." Emma replied with a soft smile.

The dinner was continued in silence. Anna had made some ravioli with cheese and Emma couldn't stop grinning at Regina – remembering their conversation from yesterday. The blonde watched as Regina bit down on her first bite with a sour face.

"Is there a problem?" Anna asked when she saw the unspoken conversation happen between the two's eyes.

"No," Emma laughed. "Not at all. Regina here is just a big child." She patted her hand on Regina's shoulder who swatted it away immediately. The others around the table smiled at them.

"So your bus leaves tomorrow," Anna said then. "Where are you two going?"

"We're not," Regina replied curtly. "We're not going somewhere together. I don't know where Emma is going."

"I just go wherever the next bus takes me to." The blonde shrugged.

"And you?" Anna asked, tilting her head softly.

"I'm not sure yet." The brunette shrugged the question away, gaining a curious eyebrow from Emma. The topic wouldn't be left alone. Anna giggled and then sent a soft smile to Elsa who was grinning as well.

"No matter where you go," Anna smiled at them. "I will always remember you for helping us. Thank you, you saved us."

"It's all my pleasure."

* * *

Emma sat at the edge of the bed whilst Regina was in the bathroom and she sat there wondering about what Regina had said. Were they going to separate ways? Emma didn't know. Even if she wouldn't admit it aloud, she had enjoyed Regina's company. It was nice to be able to talk to someone, even if the conversation turned hostile pretty quick.

"Something the matter?" The brunette asked, she had just stepped out of the bathroom and was giving Emma a curious eye. Regina felt so much better than this morning and the sneezing had stopped.

"I'm just thinking."

"About what I said earlier?" Regina's gaze fell to the ground.

"Yeah," Emma replied softly. "Where are you going? You have no money."

"I'll figure something out."

"Regina," Emma got up and stood before the smaller brunette. "Please, it might not seem that way but I do care about you. I've been in your place – I don't want you to get hurt." She paused. "Come along with me. I'll protect you."

Regina's eyes fluttered open quickly and her gaze met Emma's. She searched for a sign of hostility but found none. Her cheeks flushed.

"I'll think about it, but.."

"But?"

"Don't mistake me for being weak," she said coldly. "I know what you think. You think I'm a poor 17 year old who ran away from home and that you need to _help_ me. But don't ever think I'm weak – you're mistaken."

"I never thought you were weak, Regina."

"Your behavior says otherwise."

"It's called being friends, Regina! Dammit!" Emma was starting to lose her temper and her hands curled into fists.

"I don't need friends." Regina huffed and sat down on the bed. She flicked off the light and snuggled under the blankets – ignoring the surprised Emma who was still standing at the end of the bed. The blonde rolled her eyes and went back to her couch. She was too tired to be dealing with all of this.

* * *

_February 3rd 2017_

Anna looked beautiful in her white dress. It was the one that her mother got married in and Anna felt like it was a privilege to be getting married in her mother's dress. The pictures that she had seen of her mother marrying in that dress, they moved her to tears. Oh, how Anna wished that her parents could've been there.

Elsa, Emma and Regina all stood behind the ginger girl who was looking at herself in the mirror. Anna picked up on the smile that Elsa had on her face and launched herself into her older sister's arms. They both giggled and Emma and Regina smiled at the view in front of them.

"Ready?" Elsa asked, her arms still surrounding her sister.

"Ready." Anna nodded.

The wedding was beautiful and it almost moved Regina to tears. She wasn't the cheesy type but seeing people getting their happy ending – she struggled with it. Emma patted the younger girl on the shoulder and the brunette rolled her eyes at Emma.

When they got to the reception, Anna and Elsa thanked Emma once again privately. Regina stood somewhere awkwardly a few meters away. The duo thanked Emma for bringing them together again. The event passed by quicker than Emma wanted and sooner than they thought, the clock indicated that it was time for them to leave. They bid farewell to their friends and exchanged phone numbers and then decided it was time to go.

The walk to the bus was a quiet one and Emma knew it was because Regina was thinking. Thinking about her proposition, what would Regina decide? They arrived at the bus after a short walk and Regina started to untangle Emma's red scarf that was still wrapped around her neck and handed it to Emma.

"So," Emma bit her lip, Regina returning her scarf was a clear indication of what the brunette wanted. "This is goodbye?"

Her green eyes met with chocolate brown eyes that had never looked so scared before. Emma couldn't blame Regina for wanting to go away, for wanting to escape. She understood all of it just a little too well to be calling her out. But Regina's eyes shifted from fear into something else but Emma couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. Acceptance? Glee? She couldn't tell.

"No," Regina whispered after a few seconds, her gaze never leaving Emma's. "This is _hello_."

"Hello?" Emma laughed but suddenly understood. Regina wanted to restart, she was letting her walls down a little bit, allowing Emma to meet the real Regina. "I'm Emma Swan, nice to meet you."

She offered the brunette a hand who took it with a smile.

"Regina Mills," the brunette replied with a soft smile. "Nice to meet you too."

"Where are you going?" The blonde laughed as she started to ascend the bus, her tone playful. Her blonde curls were swaying up and down as she stepped with playful steps down the bus.

"No idea."

"Sit with me?" Emma motioned to the two chairs next to her, she started to take off her jacket and grabbed Regina's backpack and threw the items onto the rack. The red scarf landed back into Regina's lap.

"Of course."

* * *

 


	2. Together

 

_February 3_ _rd_ _2017_

“So, where do you want to go?” Emma asked and turned around to meet Regina’s sleepy face. Their drive was only three hours long and somewhere after the first hour, Regina started drifting off to sleep.

“Uhhh?” Regina replied, her mind still asleep. Emma smiled at the sight of it, Regina was rolling her head across her seat, trying to look at Emma but failing miserably.

“What is the one place you always wanted to visit?” Emma’s voice dropped in volume, now barely a whisper. She leaned closer to Regina who was still battling to open her eyes. A few seconds passed by when Regina finally replied.

“New York,” She mumbled and Emma had to stifle a laugh, Regina probably wasn’t even aware that she had replied to the blonde’s question. “I always wanted to see it, but my mother wouldn’t let me go.” She slurred and Emma was sure that if people would see her, they’d think she was drunk.

“Why didn’t you go there when you ran away?”

“Mm,” Regina slurred once more and she turned her head around to face the window again, her eyes still closed and she started drifting off again. “Had to go as far as possible.”

Emma watched Regina for a moment, the brunette was sighing lightly in her sleep and a small smile was resting on her features. For a moment it looked like Regina was completely at peace, no worry in her heart.

“Do you want to go there?” Emma questioned, unsure if Regina could actually hear her.

“Huh?” The brunette didn’t lift her head and stayed in the same position she was in. The black hair strands fell across her face when she nuzzled her face into the seat. “Did you just say something?” She muttered, confused.

“Should we go to New York?” Emma was enjoying this conversation. Regina was struggling to stay awake and pay attention to the conversation, but was failing.

“That’s far, Emma.” The brunette replied as she turned her head once again towards the window.

“You’ll love it though.” Emma poked the top of Regina’s shoulder in another attempt to wake her up, causing Regina to jerk quickly - trying to swat the finger away from her shoulder. She opened her one eye slowly to look at Emma who was grinning widely.

“..Okay.”

“We can work there for a little while, that way we can keep going.” Emma said. Regina had finally managed to snap out of her tiredness and sat upright - her full attention on the conversation. She thought about it for a moment - what kind of work was Emma talking about? Did she really want to do this? Was it safe? New York was close to her home as well - won’t her mother find her? She took another long look at Emma, who was still looking patiently at her, smile playing on her lips and Regina decided that suddenly all of it didn’t really matter.

“Okay.” She bit her lip and tore her eyes away from Emma’s face.

“Okay?” Emma said breathily, a laugh hidden somewhere in there as well.

“Okay.”

Regina’s eyes met Emma’s emerald ones once again and a silence fell between the two. Regina was still biting her lip awkwardly and Emma felt the mood grow. She waited just a little longer to interrupt, just to see Regina’s awkwardness rise to a point where she might start to blush. The blonde then grabbed the vines that were sitting between the two of them and in a quick movement, she held it in front of Regina’s face.

“Want one?” She couldn’t help but laugh at the shock that was plastered onto the brunette’s face. Her features eventually melted into a smirk and a twinkle was visible in the chocolate brown eyes.

“Really,” she grinned and rolled her eyes playfully. “I thought you knew me better than that, Miss Swan.”

“Doesn’t hurt to try.” Emma shrugged at the nickname and put a vine into her mouth. Regina’s face lit up once more and a small chuckle escaped her lips.

“Idiot.”

“Such a foul mouth!” Emma fake-gasped.

“Hm,” Regina grinned, her face full of joy as she latched onto the vine that was in Emma’s mouth and tore it out. “If I get fat, I will blame you.”

Emma sat in confusion for a few seconds to process what just happened whilst Regina busied herself with splitting the vine in two, handing the other part back to Emma. She heard Regina mutter something about  _ spit _ but she wasn’t really paying attention anymore.

“Don’t worry,” Emma said, grinning.   “You’ll stay perfect.”

“Thank you,” Regina said, just a little too quickly. She was so used to replying to compliments, that she had hardly processed what Emma just said. Her mother was part of Maine’s high class society and the only friends - well they weren’t really friends - were their daughters and sons. Their parents would compliment Regina every time they saw her but it was clear they didn’t mean a word of it.

Regina had been called  _ perfect _ just one too many times; she’d rather be called imperfect. The word just reminded her of all the things that she desperately wanted to escape from, she wanted to turn around and never look back at it again. The thought had crossed her mind before, when she stared into the mirror, her eyes tracing her scar above her lip. She wasn’t perfect - and her mother had made sure that she would never feel perfect.

If her mother used the word perfect on her, it was never meant positively. She knew why her mother was doing it, but it still didn’t justify anything. It was just another memory that flashed through her mind when she stared at the scar. The insults and the abuse would never leave her memory - they couldn’t. The scar had become a constant reminder of that.

Emma looked over to meet Regina’s gaze when the brunette had fallen silent. Regina appeared to be lost in her own thoughts and a frown was resting on her forehead.

“Regina?” Emma tried. “Did I say something wrong?”

“I used to eat these with my father.” Regina suddenly blurted out, not sure where it actually came from. “When my mom went out for tea with her friends, he would take me to the swings and we would eat vines afterwards.”

“Used to?” The blonde almost didn’t dare to ask. Regina’s voice had been just a little softer and her eyes had looked just a little sadder than before.

“He’s,” Regina bit her lip, wasn’t sure whether she actually wanted to share this piece of information. She didn’t want to tell Emma that her father had been in a coma for three years now. She didn’t want the blonde to pity her.  “I haven’t seen him in a very long time.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Regina shrugged and turned to face the window again. It had been something she had lived with for a while now. Her mother had become more cruel after he had slipped into the coma - she had been angrier. Regina wasn’t expecting a reply when she felt a warm, reassuring hand on her shoulder and suddenly Regina felt just a little less alone, a little less like a runaway and a little less  _ lost. _

* * *

 

_February 4_ _th_ _2017_

They arrived at Helena, Montana about two hours later and Emma was still wide awake. The snow had started to fall again and the blue bus was getting buried underneath the white material. The bus was now heading toward the terminal which would take about twenty more minutes. Emma rested her head against the cushion. The bus was still as uncomfortable as it had been three days ago, much to her frustration. She wasn’t frustrated for herself, but rather for Regina. Emma was used to the seating but knew that Regina wasn’t and the petite brunette had been turning her own body around for a good amount of times. Emma knew that she couldn’t find the right position to properly sleep, because she had gone through it as well. She remembered the awful neck pains that she had to endure when she had fallen asleep on the bus again. She just didn’t want Regina to have to go through it as well.

She glanced over to the brunette, whose neck was now twisted in a very uncomfortable way - almost resting on her own shoulder. Emma sighed, almost sad and grabbed her own sweater and propped it under Regina’s head. She knew that the brunette would complain and give her an angry glare when she discovered what Emma had done but what did it matter really? They both didn’t have anywhere to go.

Emma’s life hadn’t been the easiest. She was found as a baby on the side of a street and it had pained her entire life. She couldn’t understand why someone wanted to give her up. But Emma, due to all the painful experiences she’s had to endure, she was wise beyond her years. The blonde understood some things all too well – not because she wanted to – but because she just did.

Now that she was older, she understood why her foster families gave her back. She was just too difficult and all of it was too painful. She still blamed them though because all of it hurt. All the memories hurt. And Emma was travelling to see if she could escape her own memories. She really couldn’t.

And then  _ Regina _ . Young and petite Regina, who had both hope and hurt reflected in her eyes. The walls definitely were there – the ones that Emma had too. There was nothing Emma could tell her to soothe her pain, she knew. She didn’t pry – because she could see Regina wanted to keep her pain to herself. And it didn’t matter how many caring gazes that the blonde would throw her, Regina would keep the pain to herself. And it hurt Emma – to look at the young brunette sleeping next to her, escaping her troubles.

“Regina?” She said softly from her own seat. The blonde still had her eyes closed and was resting her head against the cushion as she called out.

“Regina?” She tried when the brunette didn’t reply. Emma opened her eyes to look at the brunette and resorted to poking her in the shoulder. Regina startled awake with a jolt. It took her a moment to realize where she was.

“Emma?” She replied, confused. She then noticed the blonde’s sweater on her shoulder and  _ almost  _ glared at it, but ended up smirking. It was a sweet gesture. “What is this?”

“My sweater?” Emma laughed.

“I’m aware,” Regina grinned and wanted to argue back but then decided against it. It wasn’t worth it. It didn’t deserve her time.  “Why’d you wake me?”

“We’re almost there, I thought you would want to be up by the time we get there.”

“Mm.” Regina nodded, Emma was right – she wanted to be up by the time they got there. She looked down at Emma’s sweater that was still in her hands and frowned at it. The sweater had been big on Emma, so it would be a swimming pool on her.

“I’m going to go to the toilet.” Emma said abruptly, shaking Regina from her thoughts and got up. “Be back in a bit.”

“Okay.”

Regina watched her leave and then looked back at the sweater. It was a black long-sleeved sweater with a turtle neck and looked great on Emma, even if it was too big. She held it up in front of her and gave it a long look. After a few moments of wondering, she laid it on top of her upper body. It was warm and felt very  _ safe. _ It reminded her off the times where she would cuddle with one of her father’s sweaters when her mother had once again reminded her what a failure she was. She had only been five when she had first started the sweater cuddling. She sighed at the memory and she hugged the sweater close to her chest as she looked outside the window. The snow was beautiful in the scenery.

“Regina?” Emma asked curiously when she saw Regina clutching her sweater to her chest. She was going to ask what she was doing but then decided against it. She didn’t want to shut Regina out again. The brunette snapped her head to look at Emma and quickly dropped the sweater onto her lap.

“Do you want to use the toilet too?” Emma asked with a soft smile as she still stood beside the chairs. The brunette frowned at the question – wasn’t Emma going to ask her what she was doing to the blonde’s sweater? Processing Emma’s question, she suddenly started nodding furiously and stood up.

“Yes,” she breathed out and pushed the sweater into Emma’s arms who looked a bit startled. “I’ll be back – don’t leave.”

“Where am I going to go?” Emma laughed – but she understood Regina’s fear. “I can’t transport myself out of a moving bus.”  Regina gave her a pointed look, huffing – and then stalked off to the bathroom.

* * *

 

They had finally gotten off of the bus and the temperature had hit them immediately. The duo, Regina wrapped in Emma’s red scarf and Emma in her own black sweater, had stood awkwardly at the bus stop staring at each other, unsure what to do. Their bus to Minneapolis was leaving in an hour, so Emma decided they probably should get food because it would take a while until they got to their first transfer.

Emma glanced over at Regina when they were walking towards the night shop, the only thing that was open at this hour of day. She smiled at the tiny brunette who wasn’t looking at her. As they were walking here, in the snow – their breaths appearing in front of them, she looked so fearless. She wondered if she could tell Regina but chuckled inwardly as she realized that was a terrible idea.

“What?” Regina asked, suddenly snapping out of her thoughts.

“Nothing.” Emma smiled and Regina knitted her eyebrows at her. The blonde chuckled once again and Regina moved her stare back to the scenery in front of her. As they stepped forward, Emma let herself fall a little closer in step to the brunette. She looked up to face the snow as it fell softly on her face when she suddenly got a brilliant idea.

She stuck out her tongue.

“Emma?!” Regina shrieked from beside her when the blonde started to giggle. “What on earth are you doing?!”

Regina stared with incredulous eyes at the blonde next to her. Emma was catching snowflakes with her tongue and was giggling like a child. The brunette rolled her eyes as she punched Emma lightly in the shoulder.

“You really are five years old.” The brunette said as she stared mindlessly at Emma. “You,” she took a deep breath. “Are a five year old.”

“I’m not.” Emma laughed at her and gathered some snow from the ground before shooting Regina a mischievous grin. It hadn’t gone unnoticed to Regina and that’s when the brunette started falling back in her steps.

“Uhuh,” she said, frown visible on her face. “Don’t even think about it, Emma. Don’t you dare.” 

The words had barely escaped her lips when she suddenly felt snow dripping down on her face. Stunned by the momentarily cold, she scrunched up her nose and glared at Emma. For the first time ever since they met, Regina had never truly  _ glared _ at Emma. But this was it – Regina used the glare that was supposed to make Emma fear for her life.

But instead she laughed.

“Regina!” She laughed. “What are you doing? You can’t kill me by glaring. Come on!” She waggled forward and rested her hands on Regina’s shoulders. Their height difference was very apparent now and Regina almost felt a little intimidated. “Loosen up.”

“No.” Regina replied, scowling. “I will not participate in this.”

“But it’s fun!” Emma whined and started to walk away. She really did look like a five year old. When she realized Regina wasn’t going to join she halted in her steps, scared that Regina would fall behind. But before she managed to turn around to complain about just how  _ boring _ Regina was – she was attacked by a snowball.

She turned around to face Regina and tease her for joining, but when she turned around she saw Regina walking off, swaying her hips with a certain amount of smug. Emma was startled for a moment when the smaller brunette turned around to smirk at Emma. She knew that the blonde hadn’t been expecting her to throw one back.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“You’re a piece of work.” Emma laughed while breathing out and quickly paced over towards Regina who was waiting on Emma. Her chocolate brown eyes were staring intently and Emma suddenly felt very watched. She felt Regina following her every move with her eyes.

“If you look at me any harder, I might vaporize.” Emma said once she stood next to the tiny brunette, smirk still playing on her lips. She tugged on the sides of her beanie awkwardly when the brunette crossed her arms in front of her chest and changed her weight to rest on one leg. The red scarf really made Regina look even tinier than she was – the sight was  _ adorable _ .

“Which was exactly what I was trying to do.”

“Awful child.”

“Yes,” Regina breathed out, smile still playing on her lips. “Yes, I am.” Emma stood close to her and she had to look up to look her in the eyes. Emma enjoyed seeing the playful twinkle in Regina’s eyes – it brought back the youth and innocence to the girl.

“Come on,” Emma pushed Regina forward by pushing her one hand against the brunette’s shoulder. “Let’s go get some food.” She linked her arm underneath Regina’s to pull her forward with her. The snow disappearing under their feet as Emma strode forward.

“No way.” Regina laughed, quickly swatting Emma’s arm away as they walked forward towards the shop. Their laughter filled the chilly night, their breaths visible in the cold air. Their walk was continued in light conversation, only disturbed by the occasional crack of crushing snow. It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the midnight shop and they entered with giggles – bursting through the door.

* * *

 

“Regina, you can’t be serious!”

“What?” Regina barked back. “I  _ am _ completely serious. This is not a decent meal, Emma – crackers are not breakfast.”

“It’s 1AM – it isn’t my fault! I can’t do anything about it.”

Regina was well aware that of course it wasn’t Emma’s fault. She also knew that this wasn’t something Emma could fix – but she was just yearning so badly for a decent meal. It felt like it had been ages since she last had one.

“Look, Regina –“ Emma tried again, stepping closer to the brunette who was glaring at the ground, arms folded in front of her chest. “We only have to be on this bus for three hours for our next transfer. We will get something to eat there, okay?”

Regina’s eyes left the floor slowly and connected with Emma’s, her frustration still visible in her brown orbs. She huffed as she turned on her heel and continued to walk down the aisle. The blonde sighed as she watched Regina go – her black jeans were torn on the back and the dark purple blouse she had been wearing was now rumpled and the brunette was trying to cover it up with the red scarf. She was about to stomp after the brunette to tell her to stop being a pain in the ass when she heard a loud scream.

“Emma!” Regina cried from the aisle next to her. The worry resounded in her voice and it caused Emma to drop her entire cart and run to the aisle. She was met by the sight of a sleazy man grabbing Regina’s arm. Anger rolled over the blonde’s features and before she even realized – she was pulling the man off Regina.

“Get off of her!” She screamed at him, punching him in the stomach.

“The fuck?” The man replied, obviously drunk. He clutched at his stomach and growled. Emma collected her thoughts quickly and after a quick observation of the situation, she stepped partly in front of Regina, her stretched out arm blocking the rest of her.

“Leave her alone.” Emma snarled. Regina hadn’t seen this side of Emma yet and she couldn’t decide if she should be scared because Emma was glaring at the man with such intensity that she almost feared for his life.

“Emma,” she tried – putting a gentle hand on the blonde’s arm but she didn’t move. The man’s eyes connected with Emma’s and he locked his jaw. Emma repositioned herself a little closer to Regina.

“Leave us.”

“You want to fight, blondie?” The man laughed and Emma had to hold herself back because she was about to launch forward and punch him in the face. She was held back by the gentle hand on her arm, pulling her back with a small squeeze. The blonde calculated her thoughts and her shoulders slumped.

“You’re not worth it. Come on, Regina, let’s go.” She switched their roles around and grabbed Regina’s upper arm and dragged her along with her, glaring at the man as they passed by him. The blonde let go of Regina’s arm once they arrived in their previous aisle. Her steps were heavy and full of anger as she grabbed onto the basket and headed for the checkout.

“Emma?” Regina said softly from behind her as Emma started to unload the items onto the counter just a little too forceful. “Calm down. It’s alright.”

“But it’s not!” Emma replied as she turned around quickly. “He was grabbing you, Regina. Didn’t you see the look in his eyes? He was looking at you like you were his prey!”

“But he’s gone now. Thank you.”

“..What if—“ Emma’s voice fell quiet and she stared at the counter. She wished that the cashier would appear at that very moment so he could stop her from thinking. “What if you and I hadn’t met and you ran into this? What would have happened?”

“I’m not weak, Emma.”

“I know!” Her voice was loud and hoarse – the worry wasn’t hard to notice. Regina’s hands turned into fists as she watched Emma’s facial features go over a whole set of emotions. Nobody but her father had ever cared about her like that and it was making her uncomfortable.

“I’m fine, stop worrying. You did good.”

Emma’s emerald eyes softened and she stared at the tiny brunette in front of her. Their eyes connected and Emma grabbed Regina to bury her into her arms. The embrace only lasted three seconds before Emma returned to the counter again to greet the cashier who had now arrived. The brunette stood a little awkwardly, still staring at Emma – trying to process what just happened.

Emma had been scared and Regina couldn’t exactly say why. Had Emma failed somewhere in her past in protecting someone? Or had the situation reminded the blonde of her own past? Her eyes glanced over at Emma again who was now chatting away with the cashier. She could tell the blonde was troubled and closed off – but had decided to open herself up a little to Regina. It had been an unspoken mutual agreement that they would let each other in just a little to make everything easier. It hadn’t meant that Regina was expecting great gestures of care.

But Regina had been terrified too. The brunette might’ve been good in mind games and she might be smart – but in situations like that, she found herself trapped. Then it suddenly felt like everything she had learned, didn’t matter. She had pondered for a few seconds back then too, wondered if she could yell for Emma. She hadn’t been sure if Emma would come and help her. How could she have known that Emma wouldn’t walk out on her, to get herself to safety? In the end they were both just teenage girls. Did this mean they were friends?

“Are you coming?” Emma’s voice shook her from her thoughts. The blonde was staring intently at her and Regina realized she must’ve looked like a fool, standing there still – staring at a counter with nothing on it anymore.

“Yeah.”

* * *

 

_February 6_ _th_ _2017_

The drive from Butte, Montana to Minneapolis had been uneventful. It was a 27 hour drive and most of it had been spent asleep, light conversation or both of them listening to Regina’s music through Emma’s earpods. They drove through North-Dakota and Minnesota and had enjoyed a small picnic in Alexandria, Minnesota when the bus halted for an hour at a stop on the highway.

For them, it had been just the two of them, nothing else really mattered on the bus. During their stop they bought a splitter so they could both listen with two earpods again. They truly were in their own world. Their conversation had developed nicely and Emma had shared her story about being found on the side of a road. Regina wanted to ask why Emma hadn’t searched for her parents yet, but then didn’t.

It was now around 10 AM and Regina was bobbing her head to the music that was spreading through both their headphones as Emma slept. Their bus was now headed towards Milwaukee and would take about 8 hours to arrive. During their transfer they had headed out for dinner at an Italian restaurant and then proceeded to buy some more snacks and drinks for the rest of their trip. Due to Emma’s exhaustion, they had missed their bus so they decided to stay at a small hotel to shower and sleep so they could catch the bus early in the morning.

Regina had argued in the beginning but when Emma mentioned that they could stay at a hotel, her voice fell quiet. She craved a shower and a bed. When Emma told her the trip would be more than 40 hours, she had shrugged it away. Regina was used to discomfort but now she was in the middle of the trip – she was second-guessing her decision to make it.

The sun was shining down on Regina’s olive skin and she enjoyed the warmth it gave her as she rested her head against the window with her eyes closed. It gave her a weird sense of nostalgia, back to times where she didn’t need to worry and her father was still next to her. She hadn’t even noticed the soft piano tunes that resounded through her earpods when she suddenly heard herself giggle in her ears. Her eyes shot open in an instant and looked down at her iPod.

It was a recording of her and her father playing piano together, one where they sang a duet together. She had forgotten that she had this on her iPod. She felt her chest tighten as she heard her father sing in harmony together with her. The brunette hadn’t heard his voice in such a long time and the memories suddenly all came rushing back at once.

“Is that you?” Emma asked from beside her and Regina wasn’t sure when she had woken up. The blonde rubbed her eyes softly and then proceeded to hold a hand above her eyes to look at Regina who was basking in the sunlight. Regina nodded slowly as she removed her chocolate brown eyes from Emma’s green eyes.

“That’s me and my father. He taught me how to play the piano and we occasionally sang together – it’s one of the few recordings I have of us together.” Regina stared at her iPod and played with her own hands. Her father was a delicate subject and every time she thought about him, she wanted to cry but also punch something. She was so angry about the entire situation. The brunette missed him so much but she hated the feeling of helplessness so much. It devoured her alive.

“It’s beautiful.”

“I miss him.”

Emma wanted to ask what happened to her father but she knew better than to push the boundaries. Instead she closed her eyes again and rested her head against the cushion and listened to the two voices combining over the soft tunes of the piano. Suddenly the music changed to a more intense tune and Regina’s voice was the only one that was carrying the song now. There was such emotion in her voice, Emma could feel that the emotions she was singing about were real and raw. She opened one eye to look at Regina and she could see the emotions that were being portrayed in the song, rest on the brunette’s facial features.

Emma had never been good at singing although she wished she was. She too enjoyed listening to music – it used to be her escape before all the tragedies. She could get lost in the tunes and the lyrics that would find their way to her heart. When she was in the orphanage, she would run away to the river and stare at it while listening to her favorite music. It allowed her to escape to another world that wasn’t reality anymore. But she had quit doing that because fantasy wasn’t real and reality demanded her attention. She had to be focused on reality to survive.

“I guess we’ll visit a karaoke place in New York.” Emma tried to crack a joke once the song had ended. There was an awkward atmosphere lingering between the two of them and Emma didn’t like it one bit. She didn’t want Regina to feel awkward about opening up – or about anything at all. Regina gaped at her with her mouth open because she couldn’t believe Emma had just joked after such an intense moment, but felt the sides of her mouth tug upwards.

“How are your singing skills?” She asked Emma.

“Oh, fabulous.” Emma chuckled and batted her eyelashes twice. “I’m like the new Rebecca Black.”

“Who?” Regina asked.

“Someone you don’t want to know. Just know it’s a bad thing. You’ll enjoy singing with me – your cheek muscles will hurt afterwards from laughing too much.”

Regina’s eyes lit up at what Emma said. She was too competitive for her own good but singing was something she was good at and besides her father she had never shared it with anyone else. She had thought about how it would be to go karaoke maybe once or twice – but had pushed the thought out of her mind immediately as her mother would breathe down her neck to practice her classical singing once again.

“I must admit I’m not too good at pop songs either.” Regina said.  “I was trained in classical singing.”

“Yes!” Emma fist pumped. “Then we’ll just be bad at pop songs together.”

“I didn’t say I was bad.” Regina chuckled as she grabbed her iPod and searched for something specific. She halted before pressing the button though – did she really want Emma to hear this? It was something she wasn’t all too sure about – even her father hadn’t heard her sing pop songs. She was a little scared that Emma would hate it. Pushing her own doubt away, she pressed the button. The song that she had covered was an acoustic version of Wake Me Up by Avicii. The song had described her feelings perfectly.

_ Feeling my way through the darkness _

_ Guided by a beating heart _

_ I can't tell where the journey will end _

_ But I know where it starts _

_ They tell me I'm too young to understand _

_ They say I'm caught up in a dream _

_ Well life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes _

_ Well that's fine by me _

_ So wake me up when it's all over _

_ When I'm wiser and I'm older _

_ All this time I was finding myself _

_ And I didn't know I was lost _

_ I tried carrying the weight of the world _

_ But I only have two hands _

_ I hope I get the chance to travel the world _

_ And I don't have any plans _

_ I wish that I could stay forever this young _

_ Not afraid to close my eyes _

_ Life's a game made for everyone _

_ And love is a prize _

_ So wake me up when it's all over _

_ When I'm wiser and I'm older _

_ All this time I was finding myself _

_ And I didn't know I was lost _

Regina looked over to see Emma with mixed emotions on her face, her eyes closed. She seemed to be lost in the music. The recording had been something she made when her mother had left on a holiday – it was one of the few moments where she had managed to set up her room to be a studio and record the piano and guitar pieces separately – to eventually sing on top of it again.

Ever since her mother had announced the trip – she had sought out the perfect song to cover and this was it.  When she had found the song, she had cried. Regina didn’t like to do a lot of soul-searching but the song had been a bucket of cold water in her face. She was able to put all of her emotions in it and her cover had been raw, a perfect window to her soul. The brunette waited until Emma opened her eyes and unplugged the earpods when the song came to an end.

“That was amazing.” Emma breathed out, her eyes were huge. “How can you say you’re bad at pop?”

“You liked it?”

“I loved it!” Emma had scooted a little closer to Regina and looked her in the eyes. Emma wasn’t a fool, she too knew Regina had meant every word she had sung. She could hear the younger girl her emotions in the words and it broke her heart a little. Regina was so young and yet so old at the same time – her soul was so old and so pure.

“I went a little off tune on the ending.” Regina bit her lip awkwardly, unsure what to say otherwise.

“Hush you,” Emma chuckled. “It was perfect. You must sing me a song when we arrive in New York!”

“Okay.” Regina complied and went back to her own thoughts. She wondered if back when she recorded this song, if she had actually been truly lost. Sitting on a bus with basically somewhat a stranger, driving 37 hours to New York, wasn’t she lost now? She didn’t have a home anymore, no family and nothing to miss. And no one to miss her.

“Do you consider yourself lost?” She asked Emma, unsure why she actually said it out loud. Regina had never been the person to interest herself in other people, but what could she do when the person sitting next to her was currently the only person who still cared a little whether she lived or died.

“Should I?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you?”

Neither of them could reply to their own questions and the silence returned. Emma popped her earpod back into her ear and rested her head once again against the cushion as the music returned. She made a point of listening more carefully to the music that Regina played.

Yeah, Emma was lost, but not really. Lost would mean she had somewhere to go back to, didn’t it? And what did it mean, really – being lost? Did it mean the same as unhappy? Was Emma unhappy? She wasn’t happy, that was for sure. But they were sitting here, the two of them, were they lost together? Can you be lost together if neither of you have a home? She grasped her own thoughts and then Emma grabbed Regina’s iPod and pressed pause. Regina’s confused eyes met Emma’s and the blonde gave her the softest smile she had.

“We’re not lost. We’re together.”  Emma whispered. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An extreme thank you to my little Shanna and to my amazing beta Steph - I couldn't have wished for better friends to be around. 
> 
> The song that I had Regina play was: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPDNVRFelpo  
> I'm a little behind, as you can see - but uni has been killing me already. I'll try to catch up, but with the coming chapters that shouldn't be an issue.


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